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Breakthrough: IBM creates a super-powerful ‘superchip’ that is just 7 nanometers wide

The new chip could provide an astonishing boost in performance -- four times that of today's chips.

IBM has just built a computer chip that is just seven nanometers wide, but it offers four times the performance of today’s chips.

This incredibly powerful superchip is able to pack a huge amount of transistors into the same space, allowing data to travel much more quickly between the transistors, according to a Wired report.

It’s yet another huge advancement in the development of semiconductors, which are improving by leaps and bounds as the years progress, allowing more and more powerful computers and systems.

It shows that IBM is a worthy competitor to chip giant Intel in the chip-making business, although some have speculated that Intel may have already created an equally powerful chip and is also working on a 7 nanometer chip itself, according to a public roadmap it has released. It also has a huge amount of scientists and engineers working on chip technology.

IBM’s announcement shows that Intel may need to step up its game if it wants to hang onto market share, especially with transistors on a chip doubling every 18 months or so in the last few years.

IBM has been looking to be a bigger player in the chip-making game ever since paying chip producer Globalfoundries Inc. $1.5 billion to handle some chip plants, which made it look like it was getting away from the industry, but now it appears IBM is actually conducting a lot of research into the industry.

It may take several years for the chip to hit the market, with the market still dealing with 14 and 10 nanometer chips, but it will definitely place some pressure on Intel to develop better chips.